SOIL THAT DOES THE WORK ALL BY ITSELF: THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SOIL, MARK 4:26-29

OPENING: Did you plant a seed in a Styrofoam cup and put it on the windowsill when you were in elementary school? (I hope so, or otherwise imagine that you had this key step in your education.) I can still see my cup with “Danny” crookedly written on the side, lined up with all the cups of my classmates as we left them that afternoon that we planted.

What did I want to see when I came back the next morning? Well, something, at least! Secretly I was hoping for a plant maybe a couple inches high, but I would have been happy to see at least a speck of green popping up. What did I get that first morning? Nothing. So what did I do? (And I bet many of you did the same.) I dug around in the cup to see if the seed was ok, to see what was happening, and to encourage it a bit. Of course, none of this worked. Right now, I can’t remember if or when that seed did finally come up, given all my “help.”

It’s hard to wait for something to sprout and grow. It’s especially hard to wait and do nothing. But that’s the nature of growing and also the nature of much of ministry at times. We’re eager to help, but sometimes our help isn’t needed and it might even slow growth down. So Jesus gives us this parable of the growing soil and the man who sees growth outside of his own power and work.

So, when have you had to wait for growth, knowing that any extra help that you might give won’t make things better or faster?

This is one of the sections of the Gospel which is unique to Mark. While the preceding parable of the Sower speaks of the variety of the soils, this parable addresses the constancy of the soil and its self-sufficiency. Perhaps even more, it speaks of the seed and soil as being in charge of growth.

What is the role of the one who sows here? Is he to understand the process that is happening with the seed, especially during the time it is hidden beneath the surface? What does this demand from the farmer if the crop is going to succeed?

How is this related to the work of the Word of God as the seed? We know the nature of the Word, that is, the distinction between Law and Gospel. Because these two messages of God are unique, we know which one to sow at which time. The seed of the Law with its warning and judgment goes to those who are complacent and overconfident in themselves. It has the power to break open hard soil, lives compacted with the busy traffic of a fast pace. The Gospel’s message of comfort and forgiveness goes to those frightened and despairing. It bears the fruit of peace and hope in lives that are already broken.

Therefore, with this distinction of Law and Gospel, is the one who sows the seed supposed to know what is happening to that Word within someone else? When might the seed of the Word, especially the Gospel, be hidden from the view of the one who sowed the seed? When might we be expecting, like a second grader with a seed in the Styrofoam cup, great things overnight, especially given the power of God in his Word? Also, notice that our experience with spiritual growth might be limited to what we can grow ourselves, the rebounding of our emotions for example. God might be growing a more lasting plant, one that endures to eternal life. So if we are used to the fast pace of dandelions and marigolds, an oak tree might seem to grow much too slowly.

The growth of the seed is given some attention here. It grows in stages and, again, the sower seems to be uninvolved. However, the end of the parable comes suddenly. Sharyn Dowd says of v. 29: “Although the growth is gradual and automatic in the parable, the time of the harvest comes with jolting suddenness—‘immediately.’”¹ While the farmer has slept and left the grain to itself for the whole growing season, why is it important that at harvest there is no waiting but instead that he act immediately? How does this immediacy of action match our natural desire to do something and to be associated with growing seeds and the harvest?

How does this parable then reassure a believer concerning the power of the Word and the outcome of a Word that is abundantly sown? (Consider how you can relate this parable to the preceding 4:24-25 and the assurance that the one who sows richly will harvest richly.)

The growing soil parable might also speak about the ministry of Jesus. He has been planting the seed in the Gospel’s account of his ministry. So far there has been limited growth and no clear harvest. However, there is the harvest coming of his death and resurrection. When that day comes, there will be no delay or confusion on his part. What seems now to be only a delay is really a wise farmer waiting as he must for the seed to take its time to grow.

APPLY: So at this time, which role of the farmer are you with a particular ministry or person?

All of these roles come at different times and we might be doing all three with three different people on any given day. Therefore, how can you tell when it’s time to sow, to wait, and to harvest?

So here’s to little seeds in Styrofoam cups on elementary school windowsills. They might not raise a great harvest but they certainly can teach something about patience. I suspect that God never tires of teaching the same lesson along with trusting in the power of his Seed, the Word. Blessings on your season of trust and watching his growth.

1 Sharyn Dowd, Reading Mark: A Literary and Theological Commentary, (Macon, Georgia: Smyth and Helwys, 2000), 42.